Ball catching and throwing apparatus



Feb. 21, 1939. H A HUNTER BALL CATCHING AND THROWING lAPPARMUS FiledJuly 25, 1936 vll,

INVENTOR.

BY Z/a/z/w'f wtf/a,

' J'd ATTORNEY 1 Patented Feb. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES BALL CATCHING ANDTHROWING APPARATUS Harrison A. Hunter, Mankato, Kans.

Application July 25,

2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in ball catching and throwingapparatus. It relates particularly to an apparatus having a targetagainst which a ball is projected from a distant place and which catchesthe projected ball and throws it back toward the place from which it wasoriginally projected.

My improved apparatus is adapted for use in catching and throwing back abase ball which lo has been thrown at the target, or for use in catchingand throwing back a golf ball which has been struck from a distantplace.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of a novel apparatusof the kind described l5 which will enable a person to practice pitchingl with a base ball, or to practice driving or approaching with a golfball, and with which he can operate the apparatus so as to have theprojected ball returned to him, thus dispensing with gc the employmentof a catcher or a caddy for the purpose.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a novel apparatusof the kind described, which is simple, cheap, durable, not likely toget out of order, and which is efiicient in operation.

Still another object of my invention is the provision of a novel ballcatching and throwing devlce.

The novel features of my invention are hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates the preferred embodimentof my invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of my improvedapparatus.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the apparatus, partly broken away.

Fig. 4 is. an enlarged longitudinal vertical section of the ballcatching and throwing device.

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the pivoted catching and throwing member,enlarged, and parts connected therewith.

Similar characters of reference designate similar parts in the differentviews.

My invention provides an upright target provided with two vertical sidebars I to which are attached the vertical side edge portions of a sheet2 of canvas or other suitable material against the back of which isdisposed wire netting 3 attached I0 to the bars I, and which serves toreenforce the sheet 2.

The bars I are retained in a vertical position by ropes 4 attached totwo posts 5 disposed at opposite outer sides of and spaced from the bars1936, Serial No. 92,590

For use as a guide, corresponding to the home plate, for a personpitching or throwing a base ball at the target, there is marked oil onthe front and middle of the sheet 2 a vertical rectangular portion. 6,Fig. 2.

As a means for retrieving balls projected from a distant place there isprovided in front of and adjacent to the target a receiving and ballguiding means comprising, as shown, a square funnel shaped receptacleconsisting of a sheet l, of canvas, burlap or other suitable material,one side edge of which is attached to the posts 5 at the lower end ofthe target sheet 2, the two side edges being attached to two horizontalbars Ii, the rear ends of which are fastened to the posts 5, and thefront ends of which are fastened to two posts 9 set in the ground. Thefront edge of the sheet 1 is attached to two horizontal transverse barsI0 attached to the posts 9 respectively, and to two spaced apart postsII at opposite sides respectively of the middle of the sheet 1.

The ball catching and throwing means comprises the following describedparts. A rectangular box like frame I2 is mounted on the ground betweenand extends rearwardly from the posts II, the rear end of the framebeing arcuate, as shown in Fig. 3. The lower portions of the sheet l arefastened to the upper edge of the arcuate portion, designated by I3, soas to'guide the balls, which bound from the target onto the sheet l,into such arcuate portion.

Ilhe front portion of the sheet .'I has an opening registering with theframe I2 for the passage therethrough of an arm I4 of a doubled wiremember which is coiled around a pipe l5 pivoted on a transversehorizontal bolt I6 which extends through opposite sides of the frame I2.Extending at an angle to the arm I4 upwardly and toward the target sheet21s an inverted U shaped arm Il. The arms I4 and Il and the coiledportion I8 of the doubled wire member constitute a lever which isprovided in the arcuate portion I3 of the frame I2 with ball catchingmeans comprising upwardly haring ngers I9 at the free end of the arm I4.

A ball 20, which may be a base ball or a golf ball, that has beenprojected against the target sheet 2 and has bounded therefrom onto theretrieving sheet l, is guided by the latter downwardly and falls uponthe lingers I9 which catch and releasably hold the ball.

For swinging the arm I4 upwardly and rearwardly, so as to have the ngersI9 throw the ball back toward the place from which it was originallyprojected, a, member 2l, comprising a wire or rope is attached to thearm I1 and extends to the place from which the ball was pro- Iected. Theperson who is projecting the balls from such place, after a ball hasbeen projected and fallen onto the sheet 1, pulls the member 2l, thusswinging the lever I4--I1 to the position, shown in dotted lines ln Fig.1, in which position the arm I1 of the lever will strike a transversepin 22 mounted in the sides of the frame I2 at the rear of the bolt I6,thus stopping the arm I4 of the lever and causing the ball 20 to bethrown rearwardly toward the place from which it was originallyprojected, thus enabling the operator to catch or otherwise easilyrecover the ball which he projected, either by throwing or with a golfclub, if it is a golf ball.

For retracting the lever I4-I1 to the ball catching position, a coilspring 23 is attached to the arm I1 and to a cross bar 24 across theframe I2 between the bolt IB and the arcuate portion I3. To reenforcethe lever, two coiled compression springs 25 extend between the arms I4and In practising with a base ball, the operator, standing at a place infront of and distant from the target, throws or pitches the ball at theportion 6 on the target sheet 2. The ball will bound from the sheet 2onto the guiding receiving sheet 1, and will pass upon the flngers I9.The operator by pulling the operating member 2I will swing the arm I4upwardly to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, where the armwill strike the pin 22, at which time the ball 20 will be thrown fromthe fingers I9 toward the operator, who recovers the ball preparatory toanother projection of it.

If the practising is being done with a golf ball, the operator strikesthe ball with the desired golf club, so as to project the ball againstthe target or upon the sheet 1, which thus serves as a green. The ballwill be guided upon the ngers I9, after which it can be thrown by thearm I4 operated by pulling the member 2|, as hereinbefore described,whereby the ball is thrown back to the operator.

- After the arm Il has been so swung to throw a ball, the spring 23retracts the lever to the initial catching position, shown in Fig. 4.

As shown in Fig. 1, the screen wire 3, which reenforces the targetcanvas 2, may be extended under and attached to the rear portion of theburlap sheet 1.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that with myimproved apparatus, an exceedingly simple structure is provided in theoperation of which when a ball is thrown against the target 2, it willbound therefrom, and will fall into the funnel in which it will beguided onto the flngers I9 of the throwing lever Il, and that the latterupon being swung by the operating member 2|, will, uncontrolled by theball, throw the ball so caught, without intervening interference, backto the place from which it was originally thrown by the operator.

Many modiilcations of my invention, within the scope of the appendedclaims, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim isz- 1`. In an apparatus of the kind described, a target, afunnel shaped receptacle disposed horizontally in front of said targetin a position for catching a ball thrown from a distance forward of saidtarget and striking and bounding from said target, and having a bottomelongated opening extending longitudinally in front of said target, alever below and adapted to be swung upwardly through said opening from anormal lower inactive position and having means which, in the inactiveposition of said lever, will catch a ball passing downwardly throughsaid opening, said lever when operatively upwardly swung from saidinactive position will throw the ball so caught back to the place fromwhich the ball was thrown, and an operating member attached to saidlever and extending to said place for so operatively swinging said leverupwardly through said opening from said inactive position.

2. In an apparatus of the kind described, a target, a funnel shapedreceptacle disposed horizontally in front of said target in a positionfor catching a ball thrown from a distance forward of said target andstriking and bounding from said target, and having a bottom elongatedopen ing extending longitudinally in front of said target, a lever belowand adapted to be swung upwardly through said opening from a normallower inactive position and having means which, in the inactive positionof said lever, Will catch a ball passing downwardly through saidopening, said lever when operatively upwardly swung from said inactiveposition will throw the ball so caught back to the place from which theball was thrown. an operating member attached to said lever andextending to said place for so operatively swinging said lever upwardlythrough said opening from said inactive position, and means forretraoting said lever to said inactive position.

HARRISON A. HUNTER.

